Spy for the Queen of Scots by Theresa Breslin

The first part was very interesting to me, because although I know to take everything in a historical fiction like this with a grain of salt, it was still super interesting to read about how her life was. It’s divided into two parts, the first one takes place in her youth when she lives in France and the second part is her life in Scotland when she returns to take her throne after the death of her widowed mother. I’ve always been fascinated by Mary, the last Queen of Scots so I was intrigued to read this historical fiction of most of her life. Having read the book I am not sure if I am any nearer to knowing who and what Mary stood for and even though it was a good read I was not hooked and so will have to get my Mary fix elsewhere. Jenny is written well but I could have done without the romantic twist as the will they won't they get together story line tends to distract from the main story of Mary. Too many of the names are the same, for which you cannot fault the author, but we do not get to know these characters in depth and so do not care about them let alone remember them from one chapter to another. You begin to forget who is who and lose track of the goodies and baddies. The problem with this book is that there are too many characters. She unwittingly overhears a plot that may have tragic consequences for Mary and so their stories are interwoven as she looks out for her Queen and turns spy for her to uncover the truth. The story is told by Ginette, Jenny, who is Mary's best friend and confidant. The story starts with a prologue of Mary facing her execution and then transports you back 29 years to France and Mary's upcoming wedding to Francis. Now I love a good historical novel and was really looking forward to this one as I don't know too much about Mary Queen of Scots. When Jenny overhears a whispered plot, and several mysterious deaths take place, she turns spy for Mary.”

“Jenny, close friend and companion of Mary, Queen of Scots, has grown up at the French royal court – a place of ruthless ambition, intrigue and deceit.

Spy for the Queen of Scots by Theresa Breslin